Handle grip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment

ABSTRACT

A handle grip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment includes a grip shaft, which defines a mating connection portion, a tail portion provided with two locating devices, and a passage hole axially extending through the mating connection portion and the tail portion for receiving a shaft of a sporting equipment handle, a grip sheath surrounding the outer perimeter of the grip shaft, and a butt cap, which defines a base wall abutted against one end of the grip shaft, an enclosing wall outwardly extended from the border of the base wall and wrapped about the outer surface of the grip sheath and two positioning portions located at the base wall and respectively forced into engagement with the locating devices of the tail portion of the grip shaft. Thus, the handle grip assembly effectively simplifies the manufacturing process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to sporting equipment handles, and moreparticularly, to a handle grip assembly for swing-type ball gameequipment.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a swing-type ball game, such as golf, croquet or cricket, a piece ofsporting equipment, in the form of a club or bat, is used to hit theball. A club or bat for this purpose generally comprises a head, a shaftand a grip. In order to provide comfort to the hands of the user and tobuffer the impact produced at the moment the club or bat hits the ball,the grip of a club or bat is normally covered with a flexible sheath orstrap.

FIG. 1 illustrates a grip assembly 1 for golf club. As illustrated, thegrip assembly 1 comprises a tubular body 11, an end piece 13 located atone end of the tubular body 11, a lip 131 extended from the end piece 13and spaced around the outer perimeter 15 of the tubular body 11, anannular groove 133 defined between the lip 131 and the outer perimeter15 of the tubular body 11, and a sheath 17 surrounding the outerperimeter 15 of the tubular body 11. After the sheath 17 is wrappedabout the outer perimeter 15 of the tubular body 11, a pressure must beapplied to the sheath 17 relative to the tubular body 11 to squeeze theend edge 171 of the sheath 17 into the annular groove 133, keeping theend edge 171 of the sheath 17 from lifting or curving. This installationprocedure is complicated and time consuming.

Thereafter, butt cap is created for fastening to the end of a grip toshield the end edge of the sheath that surrounds the tubular body of thegrip, keeping the end edge of the sheath from lifting or curving.Mounting a butt cap in a grip can overcome the aforesaid problems.However, it is difficult to keep the butt cap in axial alignment withthe tubular body of the grip. Thus, this design still requires muchlabor and time during fabrication.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances inview. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a handlegrip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment, which effectivelysimplifies the manufacturing process and shortens the production time.

To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a handlegrip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment of the inventioncomprises a grip shaft, a grip sheath and a butt cap. The grip shaftcomprises a mating connection portion, a tail portion and a passage holeaxially extending through the mating connection portion and the tailportion. The mating connection portion is configured for the insertionof the shaft of a club therethrough into the passage hole. The tailportion comprises two opposing locating devices respectively disposedadjacent to the passage hole. The grip sheath surrounds an outerperimeter of the grip shaft. The butt cap comprises a base wall, anenclosing wall integrally outwardly extended from the border of the basewall, and two positioning portions located at the base wallcorresponding to the locating devices. The positioning portions arerespectively forced into engagement with the locating devices of thetail portion of the grip shaft. The enclosing wall has an inner surfaceabutted against an outer surface of the grip sheath. Thus, the handlegrip assembly effectively simplifies the manufacturing process andshortens the production time.

Preferably, the butt cap of the handle grip assembly further comprises acenter shaft located at the center of the base wall and inserted throughthe tail portion of the grip shaft into the passage hole. Thus, by meansof the center shaft, the butt cap can easily connected to the grip shaftand kept in axial alignment with the grip shaft to further shorten theproduction time. Further, the base wall and enclosing wall of the buttcap are preferably made of a flexible material to provide much comfortto the hand of the user holding the handle grip assembly. Preferably,the center shaft of the butt cap is made of a relatively harder materialto enhance the positioning stability of the butt cap in the grip shaft.

Further, the mating connection portion of the grip shaft provides apositioning mark. Further, the enclosing wall of the butt cap comprisesa calibration mark located at an outer surface thereof and kept inalignment with the positioning mark. By means of the positioning markand the calibration mark, the handle grip assembly can be accuratelymounted at the shaft of a sporting equipment handle and kept in axialalignment with the shaft of the sporting equipment handle.

Further, the locating devices of the tail portion of the grip shaft havedifferent sizes. Further, the positioning portions of the butt cap arerespectively configured to fit the sizes of the locating devices. Thus,the butt cap can be rapidly and accurately fastened to the grip shaft.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will be fullyunderstood by reference to the following specification in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which like reference signs denotelike components of structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a handle grip assembly for swing-type ballgame equipment according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a handle grip assembly for swing-type ballgame equipment in accordance with the present invention where the gripsheath and the grip shaft kept secured together.

FIG. 3 corresponds to FIG. 2, illustrating an alternate form of the buttcap.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 3, illustrating the buttcap fixedly secured to the distal end of the grip shaft.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, illustrating thehandle grip assembly attached to the shaft of a golf club.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of the present invention, illustrating thehandle grip assembly used in a golf club.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 2, a handle grip assembly 10 for swing-type ball gameequipment in accordance with the present invention is shown. The handlegrip assembly 10 comprises a grip shaft 20, a grip sheath 30, and a buttcap 40.

The grip shaft 20 in this embodiment is (but not limited to) a hollowtubular member made of rubber in one piece, comprising a matingconnection portion 21 located at one end thereof, a tail portion 23located at an opposite end thereof, and a passage hole 25 extendingthrough the mating connection portion 21 and the tail portion 23. Asshown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the mating connection portion 21 is formedby turning one end of the hollow tubular member inside out and wrappingit about the outer perimeter 201 of the hollow tubular member, andprocessed to provide a positioning mark 211 that extends in a parallelmanner relative to the axis of the grip shaft 20. There is no particularlimitation on the configuration of the positioning mark 211. Forexample, the positioning mark 211 can be a linear dot pattern. The tailportion 23 is processed to provide two locating devices 231 located atan outer end face thereof at two opposite sides adjacent to the passagehole 25 and aligned in line. In this embodiment, these two locatingdevices 231 are locating grooves of different widths. The passage hole25 extends axially through the center of axis of the grip shaft 20. Whenmaking a golf club C, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, one end of the shaft Sis press-fitted through the mating connection portion 21 of the gripshaft 20 into the inside of the passage hole 25.

The grip sheath 30 is a sleeve member made of, for example, but notlimited to, flexible rubber, and adapted to provide comfort and tobuffer the impact when the user hits the ball. As the grip sheath 30 isof the known art and not within the scope of the technical features ofthe present invention, no further detailed description in this regardwill be necessary. When assembling the handle grip assembly 10, as shownin FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, attach the grip sheath 30 to the outer perimeter201 of the grip shaft 20, and then turn one end of the grip shaft 20inside out to form the mating connection portion 21 that surrounds apart of the outer perimeter 201 and shield the end edge of the gripsheath 30. In this embodiment, the grip sheath 30 sleeve member made offlexible rubber. Alternatively, the grip sheath 30 can be formed byspirally wrapping a strap (not shown) about the outer perimeter 201 ofthe grip shaft 20.

The butt cap 40 is made of a flexible material to provide much comfortto the user holding the handle grip assembly 10. The butt cap 40comprises a base wall 41, an enclosing wall 43 integrally and outwardlyextending around the border area of the base wall 41, and twopositioning portions 411 located at the base wall 41. As shown in FIG.4, the enclosing wall 43 is a tapered tubular wall gradually reducing indirection from the base wall 41 toward the grip shaft 20. The twopositioning portions 411 are respectively configured to fit thedimensions of the locating devices 231. In this embodiment, eachpositioning portion 411 is shaped like an insert column. However, thisconfiguration is not a limitation. Further, the enclosing wall 43 isprocessed to provide a calibration mark 433 at an outer surface 431thereof. There is no particular limitation on the configuration of thecalibration mark 433. For example, the calibration mark 433 can be alinear dot pattern.

It is to be noted that, as shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement of thepositioning mark 211 of the grip shaft 20 and the calibration mark 433of the butt cap 40 is adapted to help the worker adjust the relativeposition between the handle grip assembly 10 and the shaft S of the golfclub C when the worker installs the handle grip assembly 10 in the shaftS, and thus, the handle grip assembly 10 and the shaft S of the golfclub C can be accurately kept in line, avoiding misalignment.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, when mounting the butt cap 40, force thepositioning portions 411 into engagement with the respective locatingdevices 231 of the tail portion 23 of the grip shaft 20 to keep theinner surface 431 of the enclosing wall 43 in abutment against the outersurface of the grip sheath 30 and to have the end edge of the gripsheath 30 be surrounded by the enclosing wall 43. Because thepositioning portions 411 have different sizes, the butt cap 40 can berapidly positioned in the grip shaft 20 and kept in axial alignment withthe grip shaft 20. After installation of the butt cap 40 in the gripshaft 20, the calibration mark 433 and the positioning mark 211 arealigned in line. Thus, the worker needs not to perform a furthertime-consuming alignment procedure to keep the calibration mark 433 andthe positioning mark 211 in alignment, shortening the production time.

In actual practice, when compared with the prior art design, the buttcap 40 can be rapidly positioned in the grip shaft 20 and kept in axialalignment with the grip shaft 20 even if the positioning portions 411and the locating devices 231 have the same size.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an alternate form of the butt cap 40 isshown. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the butt cap 40 of this alternate formfurther comprises a center shaft 413 located at the center of the basewall 41. The two positioning portions 411 are respectively disposedadjacent to the center shaft 413. Further, the center shaft 413 can bemade of a material relatively harder than the base wall 41 and theenclosing wall 43. When mounting the butt cap 40, insert the centershaft 413 through the tail portion 23 of the grip shaft 20 into theinside of the passage hole 25 of the grip shaft 20. The arrangement ofthe center shaft 413 enables the butt cap 40 to be easily kept in axialalignment with the grip shaft 20, further reducing the production time.Further, because the center shaft 413 is made of a relatively hardermaterial, it enhances the positioning stability of the butt cap 40 inthe grip shaft 20.

In conclusion, the invention provides a handle grip assembly 10 formedof a grip shaft 20, a grip sheath 30, and a butt cap 40. When comparedwith the prior art design, the butt cap 40 of the handle grip assembly10 can be rapidly positioned in the grip shaft 20 to shield the end edgeof the grip sheath 30. Further, the butt cap 40 can be accurately keptin axial alignment with the grip shaft 20. Thus, the handle gripassembly 10 of the invention can effectively simplify the manufacturingprocess and shorten the production time. Further, the design of thepositioning mark 211 and calibration mark 433 of the handle gripassembly 10 enables the worker to accurately attach the handle gripassembly 10 to the shaft S, keeping the handle grip assembly 10 and theshaft S in axial alignment.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described indetail for purposes of illustration, various modifications andenhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except asby the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A handle grip assembly for swing-type ball gameequipment, comprising: a grip shaft comprising a mating connectionportion, a tail portion and a passage hole axially extending throughsaid mating connection portion and said tail portion, said matingconnection portion being configured for the insertion of a shaft of asporting equipment handle therethrough into said passage hole, said tailportion comprising two opposing locating devices respectively disposedadjacent to said passage hole; a grip sheath surrounding an outerperimeter of said grip shaft; and a butt cap comprising a base wall, anenclosing wall integrally outwardly extended from the border of saidbase wall and two positioning portions located at said base wallcorresponding to said locating devices, said positioning portions beingrespectively forced into engagement with said locating devices of saidtail portion of said grip shaft, said enclosing wall having an innersurface abutted against an outer surface of said grip sheath.
 2. Thehandle grip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said locating devices of said tail portion of said gripshaft are locating grooves; said positioning portions of said butt capare insert columns respectively forced into engagement with saidlocating grooves.
 3. The handle grip assembly for swing-type ball gameequipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said butt cap further comprisesa center shaft located at the center of said base wall and insertedthrough said tail portion of said grip shaft into said passage hole. 4.The handle grip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment as claimedin claim 3, wherein said center shaft of said butt cap is relativelyharder than said base wall and said enclosing wall.
 5. The handle gripassembly for swing-type ball game equipment as claimed in claim 1,wherein said mating connection portion of said grip shaft provides apositioning mark; said enclosing wall of said butt cap comprises acalibration mark located at an outer surface thereof and kept inalignment with said positioning mark.
 6. The handle grip assembly forswing-type ball game equipment as claimed in claim 5, wherein saidlocating devices of said tail portion of said grip shaft have differentsizes; said positioning portions of said butt cap are respectivelyconfigured to fit the sizes of said locating devices.
 7. The handle gripassembly for swing-type ball game equipment as claimed in claim 6,wherein said locating devices of said tail portion of said grip shaftare locating grooves; said positioning portions of said butt cap areinsert columns respectively press-fitted into said locating grooves. 8.The handle grip assembly for swing-type ball game equipment as claimedin claim 1, wherein said base wall and said enclosing wall of said buttcap are made of a flexible material.
 9. The handle grip assembly forswing-type ball game equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidenclosing wall of said butt cap is a tapered tubular wall graduallyreducing in direction from said base wall toward said grip shaft.